Every year students let the stress of final exams get the best of them while
many preventative methods exist to help them prepare and remain calm throughout
the event.

“This time
of year is always the most stressful for me,” said senior marketing major Tara
Craig.

One way to help a student
prepare can be found in the Workshop, "Preparing for Finals," on April 26 at 12:30
p.m. on the second floor of Harris Hall. At the event students will receive
handouts, scantrons and more helpful information.

In the event of a student
needing assistance throughout finals week, this year the UAM Tutoring Center on
the second floor of Harris will be open during the following times:

Thursday, May 5: 8-4

Friday, May 6: (8-10) , (12-4)

Monday, May 9: 8-4

Tuesday, May 10: 8-4

Wednesday, May 11: 8-4

“The
Commuter Café will also be open to students during the above schedule,” said
Laura Hughes,
director of Counseling, Testing and Career Services. “There will be
coffee available and it offers a quiet study area to students.”

One of the most important
things you can do is to have a plan for studying, and not wait around until the
last minute, said Ranelle Eubanks, assistant vice chancellor for Academic
Affairs. Eubanks recommends that instead of waiting until the last minute,
students
should set aside time every day to study.

Other methods to help
students better prepare can be to know: the topics the exam will cover; the
percentage of questions asked from each unit or chapter; the types of questions
that will be asked, such as multiple choice, fill in the blank and true or
false; the weighting given to lecture notes, textbook readings and handouts.
While studying one will also need all of his notes, handouts, old exams and text
books. According to the counseling and testing center, one’s ability to recall
information can be largely determined by the way he studies the material.

An effective study
technique can be the “silent review” where a student reads the information and
then quizzes himself until he can recall it without his notes. Another useful
technique can be “recitation” where one repeats the material aloud increasing
his ability to recall. Other methods include using diagrams, maps, study cards
or word/phrase cues to help trigger the information. When preparing for an essay
exam one should review the material and formulate opinions and analyses ahead of
time.

Make
flash cards, concept maps, vocabulary lists or anything else that can help you, Eubanks
said. Mnemonic devices, devices which assist in memorizing certain items, can
also prove helpful.

Other helpful tips to
remain stress-free include:

plan time wisely

organize the content areas needed to study

anticipate possible exam questions

maintain a positive attitude

get enough sleep the night before the exam

Unless a disaster occurs,
one should not plan to practice “cramming.” According to
www.unl.edu/UFP/finaltak.htm,
one forgets most of what he crams before ever going to the exam and 90 percent
of the information soon after. The night before a final one should have already
organized, rehearsed and outlined the material to practice it one
last time.

Then getting enough sleep
so one can wake up early enough for a last review becomes crucial. Studying
immediately before an exam should also not be attempted because it will more
than likely only create confusion in a student’s mind.

“Don’t stay up all night
before an exam, and don’t study for more than 50 minutes without a short
break,” Eubanks said.

She also said it is
important to eat a healthy breakfast the morning of your exams, and to be
prepared by having all of your supplies. This way you aren’t running around at
the last minute trying to gather up everything you need.

“Preparing for exams is
like preparing for a marathon,” Eubanks said. “You don’t just walk out one day
and run 26 miles, you also don’t
study all night for an exam the next day. Your brain should be conditioned just
like your body.”

A student should also ask
their instructor any questions he has either in a class session or in their
office. Furthermore every student should determine, from the final exam
schedule, the date and time of all of their exams. To view a schedule one can go
to www.uamont.edu/Schedules/. When reading the schedule one should see the times
and days of the week in which his class meets in the left-hand column. These
will not be listed in numerical order and the time of the final exam will not be
during the class’ usual meeting time.

The left-hand column lists
in groups the classes which will have their final on a certain day of exam
week. For example if one needs to find the final exam time for an 8 a.m. MWF
class, he should look to the column on the left. Once the usual class day and
time is found he can follow the line across the page to the right-hand column
where he should see what time period the exam will be in during finals week. One
should note every final on the schedule lasts for two hours giving the student
more time to take the exam.

If a student has a T/H class at 11 a.m. then he should find that class in the
left-hand column under the heading Friday, May 6. Then he should find in the
right-hand column the time of the exam for that class. He should find it to be
from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.